1. What is Genocide?
Bones at the Nazi concentration camp of Majdanek in the outskirts of Lublin 1944

2. General definition of Genocide
The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group

3. United Nation’s definition of Genocide
“genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such:”
Killing members of the group;
Established December 9th 1948 by International Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

4. b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

5. c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or part;

6. d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
by image28 Dec 42: Sterilization experiments begin on women prisoners at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration

7. e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
Jewish twins kept alive to be used in Mengele's medical experiments. These children were liberated from Auschwitz by the Red Army in January 1945.

8. What do you think causes genocide?

9. Eight Stages of Genocide
NOTE: Not all of these steps are necessary for a genocide to occur nor must they happen in the order presented here
-Not all 8 steps are necessary or happen in order as listed in order for genocide to occur

10. STAGE 1: CLASSIFICATION
“us vs. them”
Universally human
Bipolar societies are most likely to have genocide
Prevention?
Promoting tolerance
Search for common ground
Promote inclusive national identity

11. STAGE 2: SYMBOLIZATION Universally human
Give names or symbols to classifications
When combined with hate, can be forced on unwilling members
Prevention?
Laws making symbols and hate speech illegal
Popular culture must stop enforcing it
Denial of symbolization

12. STAGE 3: DEHUMANIZATION
Members of one group are equated to animals, insects, diseases, etc.
Makes it easier to kill someone
Prevention?
Ban hate crimes
Shut down hate in the media
Ban hate propaganda

13. STAGE 4: ORGANIZATION
Genocide is always organized, usually by the state….sometimes informally, or sometimes by a terrorist group
Special army units/militias are trained
Plans are made for killings
Prevention?
Outlawing membership
Impose arms embargoes on suspected governments
Investigate violations

14. STAGE 5: POLARIZATION
Groups are driven further apart by laws or propaganda
Extremist terrorism targets moderates
Prevention?
Protection of moderate leaders
Seize assets/documents of extremists
International sanctions
Targets moderates so as to intimidate and silence the center

15. STAGE 6: PREPARATION Victims are identified
Members of victim groups forced to wear identifying symbols and segregated into ghettoes, camps, or confined to famine-struck regions
Prevention?
Armed international intervention
Assistance to victim group for self-defense
Humanitarian assistance

16. STAGE 7: EXTERMINATION Mass killings begin
May also involve revenge killings by groups against each other
Prevention?
Rapid and overwhelming armed intervention
Refugee escape corridors must be established and protected by armed internationals

17. STAGE 8: DENIAL Always follows a genocide
Largest predictor of future genocides
Evidence destroyed, witnesses intimidated
Victims are blamed, investigations blocked
Governing group remains until drove into exile
Prevention?
Punishment by international tribunal or national courts